Treatment of cervical injuries or disorders often requires cervical traction for treating trauma to the muscles and ligaments of the neck and the cervical and upper thoracic vertebrae and associated spinal nerves. By applying cervical traction, a "cervical separation" is produced which alleviates pain caused by compression on the nerves, while allowing more blood flow to the affected tissue that speeds the healing process.
Normally, in the early stages of applying traction, cervical traction forces are most easily controlled when the patient is confined to a hospital bed where complex and expensive traction equipment is carefully controlled by medical professionals. When the patient has reached a point in the healing process where such clinical treatment is not needed, other controlled traction devices may be prescribed and used by the patient.
One such home use traction device is an "overdoor" cervical traction system in which traction forces are applied to a head halter or harness placed under the chin and occipital lobe areas. The harness is connected to a hanger that attaches to a door and holds a water filled weight bag that applies a controlled amount of upward traction force on the harness by gravity while the patient sits next to the door that supports the hanger and weight bag. This traction system applies traction forces by the weight bag pulling the harness upwardly from below the chin region and the base of the skull. The amount of water contained in a weight bag controls the amount of traction force. Although this system is useful, it requires a patient to sit in one place for long periods of time.
Another prior art patient-controlled cervical traction device is available under the name Pronex from Glacier Cross, Inc. This device includes a U-shaped block that fits behind the patient's neck and rests on the patient's shoulders. An air-inflatable bellows in the middle of the block applies lateral lifting forces upwardly to pillows on opposite sides of the patient's neck. This device requires the patient to be in bed while traction is applied. The traction force is not uniform around the entire neck region, and the bellows, being located at the middle of the device, can apply undesired inward pressure to the middle of the patient's neck and windpipe.
The present invention provides a cervical traction collar that can be used by the patient to apply a carefully controlled amount of traction force to the cervical region constantly while the patient is completely ambulatory. The cervical traction collar of this invention also applies a more uniform traction force than that produced by the harness used in the overdoor traction system.